Washington, Charlotte, New Jersey, Pistons, Toronto, Sacramento--these are likely the bottom teams in the league (Sac. because of dissension on the team). You could throw Minn. in there for a bottom 7.

The Pistons can compete with about the bottom third of the league. Their three best players (Monroe, JJ and Knight) are rookies or 2nd year. JJ needs a shot around the hoop. His asset is speed. What good is it to get into the lane but not know what to do? He will get stronger, his shot will get purer--but he needs coaching badly.

Somebody remarked that the Pistons get the least out of their veterans than any team in the league--probably true. Many of us wondered why Stuckey was resigned? Why Tay was brought back? Is it to have tradable contracts in the future? Why was Maxiel given a long contract? Why was Bynum given a contract? It is not like these players were showing a lot of promise in their roles. Never mind why CV was signed. I was fooled by Gordon as well but who actually watched him play at Chicago? It had to be obvious that he can't handle the ball. You do your due diligence before you lay out that kind of contract.

Daye looks like he is in his first month in the NBA...

I will repeat my earlier post: the Pistons have a decent start at a rebuild with Monroe, Knight (probably) and JJ (possibly). The rest of the team should be moved when it is convenient--probably after the lottery pick is known.

But let's not feel too bad. Many posters have noted the remarkable development of Monroe who will be one of the best big men in the league within two years. If is were an owner, I would put to the fire my GM that past him up. How could this guy fall to the 7th pick???

Do you STILL feel that Hooper is a top 5 NBA Mascot?
If you do, you should fork over some cheddar for Mr. Cheever's dry cleaning bill.
I can only hope that Hooper had someone bring the Cheevster a new glass of vino.
...makes me sick.

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I must admit, this "incident" has given me pause. I would like to offer my most sincere condolences to Mr. Cheever over his ordeal. It is my understanding that this was his first Pistons game. My, what he must think of our team now! I would like to offer Mr. Cheever $5 out of my own pocket to go toward his dry-cleaning and chardonnay expenses. I'm sure if a few other Pistons fans did the same, we can put this unpleasantness behind us.

Now, on to Hooper.

Hooper has been working the T-Shirt cannon for over a decade now with no incidents. He has delivered fashionable casual wear to fans of all incomes and ages, allowing them to show their love for the Pistons and Dr. Rahmani at picnics, BBQs and other informal events.

I don't believe after nearly 12 years someone with the talent and ability of of Hooper just starts shooting people in the Chardonnay. I think that what we are witnessing here is a bad game plan. Only a completely clueless coach would tell a mascot: "see that well dressed gentleman in the sportcoat? Why don't you shoot him a t-shirt?" This is a clear case of playing Hooper out of position. It's time to get back to fundamentals. Hooper needs to be dunking from trampolines, riding that tiny little mini-bike, and getting t-shirts to kids and drunks.... Sorry Mr. Cheever.

We should have gutted this team in the off season. Instead we brought everybody back. We have a team that is slow and undersized at almost every position. You can't coach size and speed. This team is really bad. Our only hope is the lottery.

The feed I watched the game on last night decided that switching to another game at the end of the 3rd quarter was the smart thing to do.... so I had to follow yahoo stats after that. From what I gathered though, did the offense totally forget about Monroe in the 4th quarter or was he getting to the line everytime he touched the ball? He seemed to be stuck on 12 shot attempts from the time I started to follow it via Yahoo.

I must admit, this "incident" has given me pause. I would like to offer my most sincere condolences to Mr. Cheever over his ordeal. It is my understanding that this was his first Pistons game. My, what he must think of our team now! I would like to offer Mr. Cheever $5 out of my own pocket to go toward his dry-cleaning and chardonnay expenses. I'm sure if a few other Pistons fans did the same, we can put this unpleasantness behind us.

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I just purchased "CheeverCleaner.com" from GoDaddy so we can set up a website for donations.

At a baseball game........people get his with foul balls all the time cause they're not paying attention.
Should a fan expect to get hit with a t-shirt during a pause in the game........It's possible.
I think an assist should go to the fan who was talking/conducting business with Mr. Cheever at impact time.
My question becomes.......was he in a seat close to the action?
Maybe Hooper was annoyed at a fan not focused on him and simply took aim?
Or...............was he seated far away from the action.........and simply the victim of random.......bad luck?
Was a vendor nearby distracting him? Was he watching video replays of previous action?
Was he plowing through his popcorn and unable to control the wine glass?

I'm hoping that after he got home and had time to reflect on the incident, he found some humor in it and got a good chuckle out of it. I think it might make an entertaining anecdote to share at cocktail parties.It might inspire some modest laughter and perhaps a good natured pat on the back as others empathize with plight. Mr. Cheever, just use your ability to spin a yarn and deliver it with some droll humor, and you'll have a winning story on the cocktail circuit for years to come.

As a couple have pointed out, JJ is useless as played. He had one good defensive sequence in this game, to a countless number of bad ones. He is in no way shape or form an NBA starting power forward. His complete inability to play that position means the whole team has to basically drop what they should be doing in a vain attempt to help him out.

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The problem is that they rarely do that. Most of the time the rest of the players don't even seem to be aware that JJ is overmatched.

We should have gutted this team in the off season. Instead we brought everybody back. We have a team that is slow and undersized at almost every position. You can't coach size and speed. This team is really bad. Our only hope is the lottery.

The feed I watched the game on last night decided that switching to another game at the end of the 3rd quarter was the smart thing to do.... so I had to follow yahoo stats after that. From what I gathered though, did the offense totally forget about Monroe in the 4th quarter or was he getting to the line everytime he touched the ball? He seemed to be stuck on 12 shot attempts from the time I started to follow it via Yahoo.

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No they forgot about him, Tay did his iso stall pause thing and BG kept heat testing his cold shot and we pretty much **** the bed again

Walt, Stuckey does not seem to have improved and that is the problem. So his contract is questionable. I guess management needs to sign players period to put out a product from year to year. Stuckey just hasn't helped the Pistons win games throughout his stay. He reminds me of Kamen when Kamen was on the Clippers. The impact just does not play out for some reason. But Stuckey should not be singled out. There are a few more players on the team who also do not seem to fit.

But I am encouraged looking forward with Monroe. Knight could be good. The last two years were a waste. Yes, the Pistons got Monroe--but that was pure luck or bad GM decision-making. How did he fall to the 7th pick?? Unreal.

Monroe falling to #7 was our luck, but I don't blame the GMs to shy away from him at the time. The scouting reports weren't very favorable for him and IIRC, most people on this forum were lukewarm at best. When he was picked the general consensus was like "oh well, better than nothing I guess".

I do agree with you that everbody other than Monroe and Knight should be trade bait. Love to keep JJ, but I see him as a deal sweetener for landing a stud.

The problem is that they rarely do that. Most of the time the rest of the players don't even seem to be aware that JJ is overmatched.

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The coach generally decides how much help a post defender gets. Sometimes he hangs JJ out to dry, looking to see if he can handle a situation. However, with around about a fifth of the season gone now, the experiment should end. JJ can't handle the position. Pretty much everyone else in the gym but the coach knows it already. I heard the guy was stubborn, hard headed. Now I see what they mean.

Monroe falling to #7 was our luck, but I don't blame the GMs to shy away from him at the time. The scouting reports weren't very favorable for him and IIRC, most people on this forum were lukewarm at best. When he was picked the general consensus was like "oh well, better than nothing I guess".

I do agree with you that everbody other than Monroe and Knight should be trade bait. Love to keep JJ, but I see him as a deal sweetener for landing a stud.

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Actually, quite a few people were very excited about Monroe....Rascoe, Darth Tater, Army Girl, the list goes on....check this out: